The Days Without You
by howlsawiz
Summary: Sasuke and Naruto have been friends all their lives but what happens when their relationship goes farther? What will happen to Naruto when Sasuke leaves?
1. sakura you bitch!

**The Days Without You**

"No! That's a lie!" yelled Naruto.

"Yes it is and you know it! Nobody likes you and they never had. You were born alone and you're going to die alone!" shouted Sakura with pure rage. "You're annoying and obnoxious! How could anyone like _you_?! You're a loser and a freak that should've never been born!"

"No! You're lying! I'm not a loser! And think what might have been if I _wasn't_ born! You're just jealous!" yelled Naruto, tears starting to blur his vision. He turned his back on his teammates, Sakura and Sasuke and ran home.

"Jealous of what?!" Sakura called back but Naruto didn't bother returning that comment. Alone on his room, he cried until he got hiccups, which he seldom anymore. He finally cried himself to sleep. It was lat e in the afternoon when Naruto awoke to knocking on his door. The blond was reluctant to get out of bed and answer the door but he got up and dragged himself to the front door. His hand hesitated on the doorknob. Another, more irritated knock.

"Alright, alright." he whispered to himself and opened the door. It was Sasuke.

"What are you doing here?" asked Naruto, bewildered.

"I have my reasons. You gonna let me in?"

"Oh, uh, yeah." He stepped to the side and let Sasuke in and closed the door. "So... you gonna tell me these said reasons or am I going to have to guess?"

"You can guess." Sasuke said calmly, walking around the room, snooping.

"You came here to be mean to me too? Might as well, I'm all out of feeling sorry for me for today."

"Nope. Guess again."

"I give up. Why are you here?" He was thoroughly confused.

"I'm here to apologize for Sakura. Is this your bedroom?" said Sasuke, getting off the subject.

"Really? Yes, it is, do you mind?" A total emotion crash just hit the young ninja.

"Nope. And really. Those things she said were uncalled for. I don't care how angry she might be or how bad she has PMS or whatever, she shouldn't've said them. Most of those comments were unforgivable." explained Sasuke slipping his way into Naruto's room. Naruto followed his teammate into the room, still trying to figure out everything out. _Why? Why all of a sudden does he care and when does he ever apologize for anyone or anything? And what is he doing in my room?!_ h e thought.

"I guess your right." he finally managed to get out.

"You guess? Well I _know_. You weren't born alone, somebody had to give birth to you, and I highly doubt that you're going to die alone," Sasuke started to explain, sitting down on Naruto's bed. Naruto sat down next to him and started to cuddle his pillow. "You're not obnoxious and you're certainly not annoying. There are plenty of people who like you. Who couldn't? I mean, you're courageous, kind of funny at times, you work hard non-stop, and you try hard to please everyone. You have beautiful blue eyes, soft shiny blonde hair, and your cute..." Sasuke trailed off at that, lost in his own thoughts. It finally clocked in Naruto's head.

"I'm sorry, what?" Sasuke snapped out of his daydream and tryed to save himself without much luck.

"I, uh, um, and I'm the only one who's aloud to call you loser so there."

"Uh, huh. Hey Sasuke?"

"What." Sasuke said, looking suspicious. Naruto just smiled.

"Do you like girls?"

"Of corse, you dobe! Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know, you just don't seem to like' em. I mean, you ignore them when they talk to you and you reject them every time they ask you out."

"I'm just picky, that's all." answered Sasuke, nervousness starting to rise in his voice.

"Sure. So if you like girls then you wouldn't mind if I did this." Naruto reached over and put his and on Sasuke's knee. He slowly inched his way up Sasuke's leg. With every move Naruto made, Sasuke got redder and redder and more nervous. Naruto started to go up his shorts, not playing the game by the rules as always, even though there aren't any official rules to the game. He was almost at Sasuke's thigh when he finally snapped.

"Ok, stop!" he yelled, his voice cracking. His face was bright red.

"Ha! I knew it! You don't like girls! Ha, ha, yeah..." Naruto was smiling to himself and feeling accomplished of what he found.

"So what if I don't? What are you going to do about it?" Naruto stopped smiling. He never thought of what he was going to do with the new information he had just acquired.

"Nothing."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Like I believe _that_."

"Well, you should. Because I'm dead serious. Just look at me, seriously." Sasuke looked deep into Naruto's eyes. His face alone told him that he was serious, but he just liked looking into Naruto's beautiful blue eyes.

Sasuke leaned over and kissed him and quietly left the house, leaving Naruto stunned.


	2. Chapter 2

"What the hell just happened here?" he asked himself. For weeks Naruto wondered about the kiss, it was all he could think about, and for weeks Sasuke avoided him.

One day, Naruto decided to climb his tree for like the thousandth time. He just sat there on a high branch, watching the little kids at the academy. All of them inspiring to be great ninjas. Memories came flooding back to when he was in the academy. Remembering how he himself became a genin, the scene of tired kids and a yelling sensei started to become foggy for he was also remembering what another sensei had told him that fateful night and what Sakura had that one morning. _Maybe their right_, he thought.

"They're not." came a voice right next to him. Purely out of surprise, Naruto jumped and fell out of the tree with a loud _thump_! He heard a quiet laugh coming from where he had fallen, and he picked himself up and looked to see who made him fall. It was Sasuke. But wait, there was something different about him... he was laughing!

"What's so funny?" asked Naruto, knowing the answer before he even asked the question.

"You. You're such a loser." he said happily, jumping gracefully from the tree and landing lightly on his feet. Naruto just stared at him, unimpressed.

"You're such a show off. 'They're not' what?"

"Right. You know you should really stop thinking out loud."

"Yeah, I know, it's a habit. So. . . what's going on? Why haven't I seen you around lately?" asked Naruto, trying to sound concerned but he was really trying to get Sasuke to talk about the kiss.

"Well, you know, I've been busy." Sasuke said, avoiding eye contact even though he really wanted to stare at Naruto's gorgeous face for forever and a day.

"That's bull and you know it! You were avoiding me weren't you? You didn't know how I'd react to you kissing me and you were afraid that I'd hate you or something." Sasuke looked like a puppy that was getting yelled at for making a mess in the house except he was a bright red, indicating that it was all true. "And I have only one thing to say to you!" started Naruto, trying to sound angry which worked for Sasuke flinched at the words and prepared himself for the worst. But instead of yelling or being angry of any kind, Naruto just stepped close to Sasuke and gave him a long, passionate kiss. Sasuke's muscles relaxed and he wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist and Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck. When their lips parted, Naruto and Sasuke leaned their heads together, sharing a very special moment. A moment, that's all it was for almost as soon as they did so, they heard the familiar annoying, nasally voice of Konohamaru.

"Aw, isn't that sweet. What is this? Some sort of trust exercise?"

"Go away Konohamaru! I really don't feel like dealing with you right now. Can't you see we're busy?" said Naruto, letting go of Sasuke.

"Yeah, busy _kissing_! What's the matter lost the dummy you practice kissing with so you make sure that you'll have the perfect kiss for that girlfriend that you'll never have?"

"Konohamaru leave! Now!" Naruto was pissed! And after a couple of years of experience, he learned that when Naruto is pissed, leave him alone.

"Yes Boss!" he gave him a salute and went back to the group that crowded around Iruka-sensei. When he finally got there, Iruka yelled at him for leaving the lesson. Naruto chuckled to himself. He turned to Sasuke.

"So now what?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know." Naruto's stomach growled loudly. Sasuke laughed.

"I've got an idea. Why don't you come to my place and grab a bite."

Sasuke smiled at the thought of going to Naruto's house again. "Sounds great." They walked in an awkward silence. When they got there, Naruto put some water on for ramen. Of corse, what else would he eat?

"Hope that ramen's ok, that's all I have." he said finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah, it's fine." Sasuke walked around the house, exploring each room. It wasn't a very big house and Naruto didn't own much but the little he had looked precious to him. Then he found the kitchen. Naruto was working hard over a hot stove. He wiped the sweat from his forehead that was forming from the hot steam. Sasuke went over and wrapped his arms around the working blond's waist and kissed his neck playfully. Naruto stopped working and took Sasuke's hands off of him. Sasuke also stopped and looked at him with some confusion.

"Sasuke, I don't know if I'm ready for this. I mean I really want to but then, I don't know. I'm just really confused right now. Trust me, when I figure this out, you'll be the first person I'll come to, ok? It's not you. God no. You, you're doing everything perfectly. It's me who doesn't know what he's doing. Ramen's ready if you still want it."

"Of corse, I get it, I'll wait for you."

"Thank you, you're the best," said Naruto, hugging Sasuke. Sasuke felt disappointed but was still filled with hope that they will soon be together. They ate their ramen in peace and when they were done, Sasuke left.

That night, Naruto laid in bed thinking. Thinking about what had happened that day. He replayed the kiss over and over again in his head and he found that he felt the same way about Sasuke. But was he ready for a relationship with him? What would happen then? With his head filled with 'what if?' questions, Naruto fell into a restless sleep. He tossed and turned all night and woke up early. This happened for a week and a half. By the end of the second week, Naruto was exhausted from lack of sleep, but his mind was finally made up. He decided to tell Sasuke that very day. Easier said than done. Every time Naruto went to go tell Sasuke, he'd walk right up to his door and. . . chicken out. This went on throughout the day periodically. When he finally mustered up enough courage to tell Sasuke how he felt it was late that night, nevertheless he walked down to Sasuke's house. When he got there, all the lights were out. Naruto cursed under his breath. Well, only one thing left to do now; Naruto went to the side of the house and started to throw pebbles at what he hoped to be Sasuke's bedroom window.


	3. Chapter 3

Luckily, he guessed right for Sasuke opened the window sleepily. Not paying any attention, Naruto accidentally threw a pebble at Sasuke's head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Sasuke hissed.

"Oh... sorry!" Naruto whispered loudly .

"Naruto? What are you doing here?"

Naruto smiled. "I have my reasons, you gonna let me in? It's freezing out here!"

"Um, yeah. Meet me at the front door."

" 'K." Naruto ran to the front door excitedly. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and the door opened. Naruto walked in and Sasuke led him into the kitchen. The floors were littered papers and books of all kinds. When they got to the kitchen, the sink was filled with dirty dishes and the table was covered with flour and other baking ingredients.

"Sorry for the mess. It's usually cleaner," he said looking a little embarrassed.

"That's ok. I've got something to tell you anyway," said Naruto.

"Really? What?" asked Sasuke, his face lighting up.

"Well, I really don't know how to tell you. But I know what I want to say, well not _really_. I mean. . . it's just that I . . .um. . . I-I-I-"

"You what?" asked Sasuke, getting close to Naruto.

"I-I-I uh, um. I can't tell you!" Naruto crumpled into a crying heap in front of Sasuke's feet. "God, I'm stupid! Why does something so simple to say has to be so hard?" he said between sobs. Sasuke knelt down in front of him and tilted Naruto's head up. It was hard to do because Naruto kept forcing it back down, but when he finally succeeded, Naruto wouldn't look at him.

"Hey, look at me," said Sasuke soothingly, "you know you can tell me anything." Naruto sniffed and smiled. Sasuke wiped the last of the tears off Naruto's face and gave him a sympathetic hug.

"I love you," Naruto whispered in his ear. Sasuke held him at arm's length.

"Really?" Naruto nodded. They both smiled. Sasuke gave him a loving kiss. The arm Naruto was leaning on gave out. Naruto had passed out on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Naruto?" Naruto responded with a small, quiet snore. "He must've been tired. Oh well, might as well let him stay now that he's fallen asleep." He pick up the sleeping ninja and brought him to his room. There, he laid him down, took off Naruto's coat and shoes and got under the covers with him. That night was the first night Naruto slept peacefully in two weeks and that night was the first night they both didn't sleep alone.

Naruto didn't wake up until noon the next day and when he did, he got a big shock. He sat up in the bed and looked around.

This isn't my room, there's _way_ too much stuff in here. Here the hell am I?, he thought. Suddenly, the door opened and Sasuke came in. Naruto jumped.

"Sasuke?"

"What?" He sat down next to him on the bed.

"Wh-where am I? What am I doing here?"

Sasuke frowned. "You mean you don't remember?"

"Remember what? What happened?" He was getting worried.

"Well, for one, you're at my house. You came over late last night and threw rocks at my window, and my head, anyway, when I let you in, you told me you needed to tell me something but had a nervous break down instead. Then you told me you loved me. Then you passed out so I let you sleep here."

"Did we do anything after that?" asked, afraid to even ask the question for he only remembered falling asleep last night.

"No. Of corse not! We're not even going out," said Sasuke quickly, feeling a little offended that Naruto would think he would do such a thing. "So what did you want to tell me?"

"Well, I've figured out everything and I think I have come to a conclusion."

Sasuke was getting excited. "And?" Naruto leaned over and kissed Sasuke. His breath tasted minty, giving Naruto the hint that he had just gotten up too. Sasuke leaned back and rested his head on the pillow. Naruto pulled back and Sasuke's lips quivered, wanting more.

"I'm ready," he whispered. A sudden rush of gladness came over Sasuke.

"Really?" he whispered back, his eyes gleaming. Naruto smiled and nodded.

From that moment on, everything changed for the two ninjas. They never wanted to separated from each other for any period of time. Sasuke was practically living with Naruto now and was running out of things faster than before and finally had to go to the store and, of corse, Sasuke _had_ to go with him. When they got there, Sasuke stopped.

"Here, I'll go get the stuff. I know what you need and maybe we can have something other than ramen. How does that sound?"

Naruto blushed. "Yeah, ok."

Sasuke kissed him. "Just stay here. I'll be right back."

" 'K." Then Sasuke went into the store and Naruto just stood there, waiting. Out of nowhere, Sakura came over to Naruto and slaps him across the face.


	4. sakura: round two

"What the hell was that for?" Naruto yelled.

"I can't believe you did it again! On purpose!" she cried back.

"What are you talking about?"

"You kissed Sasuke! God, you're such a loser!"

Now Naruto understood. "Well actually, he kissed me. He's the one you should be slapping, not me," he said, hoping that it would let him off the hook.

"I don't care! I would never dream of hitting Sasuke! What are you two, like going out or something?" Naruto didn't really want to answer for fear of getting beat up.

"Well? Tell me!"

Naruto took a deep breath and jumped into the sark tank. "Well, um, er, well it's like thi-"

"Just tell me damn it!"

Naruto jumped. "Yes! We, we are."

"No!! Sasuke can't be gay! Even so, no . . . no not with _you_. Uugh! You're such a fag! You're gonna pay!" There was death in her eyes and it kind of scared him. He shrank into the wall, terrified. Sakura raised her hand and Naruto flinched and shook. He had never seen Sakura so mad before and he was actually afraid of her. Her hand came down and her nails dug deep into the right side of Naruto's face and glided all the way down to his neck. Naruto turned to face Sakura, half of his face bleeding from the scratch.

"Sakura. . ."

"Shut it!" She yelled and then kicked him in a place no male should be kicked. Naruto doubled over. Tears welled in his eyes; not just from pain but also from the fact that his own teammate was beating him up for almost no reason at all. She kicked him again, in the stomach and again in the face. Naruto just laid there, taking it all.

Sakura stopped for a moment. "Why don't you fight back?" she asked. Naruto coughed and spit out blood. "Come on fag, speak!" She kicked him again. She knew just as well as he that he could kick her ass if he really wanted to, but he didn't. Naruto coughed again and tried to get up.

"Because. . . unlike you, I don't beat up me teammates."

"Lier!" she yelled and dropped down to her knees and punched his already hurting face. By this time, Sasuke was coming out of the store, hands full of groceries. When he saw what was going on, he dropped them, spilling milk and breaking eggs. He ran over to Sakura and pulled her off of Naruto.

"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded, looking from Sakura to the bleeding, shaking heap that was Naruto, still holding onto Sakura.

"I-I-I saw you kiss Tinkerbell here. How could you? You're not supposed to be a homo! I hate you!" Sakura screamed.

"No you don't," Sasuke said calmly.

"Yes I do! Now let go of me!" she yelled, ripping herself away from Sasuke. She tried to slap him but Sasuke blocked he attack. He grabbed her wrist with such force and strength, he almost broke it and Sakura fell to her knees.

"Get out of here and leave us alone. If you have a problem with Naruto, then you have a problem with me and you don't want that, do you?" Sakura shook her head. "If you leave us alone, then we'll leave you alone. Got it?"

Sakura was on the verge of tears because of the pain. She nodded. Sasuke let go of her and she got up and ran. With all that said and done, Sasuke ran to Naruto's side. He was still shaking and Sasuke couldn't bare it. He knelt down and lightly touched his back. Naruto's whole body tensed.

"Hey, it ok, it's me. It's alright now. You're not going to get hurt anymore. I promise, it's ok." With help, Naruto sat up, tears running down his face.

"Sasuke!" Naruto sobbed, lunging at Sasuke, hugging him and almost knocking him over. Sasuke held him until he stopped crying and then helped him up.

"Come on, we've got to get you home and get you cleaned up. You sure you can get home like this?" Naruto nodded. Sasuke went and grabbed the bags of food and they headed home. When they got there, Sasuke went to the kitchen to put the groceries down and Naruto headed for his bed. Sasuke caught him just in time.

"Where are you going?" he asked, stopping Naruto in the doorway.

"I was just going to-" Naruto started.

"To the bathroom where I can clean that nasty scratch on your face, just like I thought," said Sasuke, sounding like a parent.

Naruto heaved a sigh. "Yep. That's exactly where I was going," he said sarcastically. "Can't I just go to bed?"

"After. Now, bathroom. The sooner I can clean you up, the faster you can sleep." Naruto grumbled all the way to the bathroom.

"Sit," said Sasuke, pointing to the toilet as he turned on the sink faucet. He let the water run until it got moderately hot. Then he dampened a washcloth and then started to gently wipe the blood off of Naruto's swollen face. Naruto fussed and squirmed like a baby.

"Stop squirming and be a good boy."

"But it hurts nurse," said Naruto playfully.

"Be good and I might give you a reward," said Sasuke, playing along and smiling.

"Ok." Naruto stopped moving around and let Sasuke do his thing. When he was finished wiping off the blood, he ran the cold waterand dampened another washcloth and handed it to Naruto.

"Here, put it on that black eye of yours and I'll be right back."

"Where you goin'?" Naruto asked, doing what he was told

"I bought some peroxide, I'm gonna put some on your scratch. It'll clean it out.

"Sounds painful."

"It's not, and you better let me put it on you or it'll get infected and leave scars."

"Fine." Sasuke left. Naruto stood up and looked in the mirror. God, he looked like crap! The whole right side of his face was swollen, red and tender, and his left eye was almost swollen shut. His abdomen was also sore and he could feel a bruise the size of Sakura's foot forming on his chest. Damn you Sakura, he thought.

"Yeah, I know, you look like crap. Now sit." Naruto sighed and did what he was told. "Close your eyes." He did. Sasuke poured some peroxide on Naruto's face. It fizzed and stung. Naruto pulled away.

"That hurts!" he protested.

"Well, duh! That means it's working, dobe!" Sasuke said, getting annoyed. Naruto settled down finally and let Sasuke finish. When he was done, Naruto just stood up and went to his room. Sasuke followed him. He watched Naruto silently as he walked up to his bed and pass out.


	5. Is Sasuke Leaving Me?

Just looking at him made Sasuke hurt. Sasuke went into the kitchen and put the groceries away. Then he sat down and read a little bit of Edgar Allen Poe. After reading most of his short stories and poems, and feeling a little depressed he decided to go to bed too. He followed the slow, even breathing of Naruto once in the dark bedroom. He pulled off his shirt and pants and undressed Naruto. Even in the dark, he could see the giant bruise on his chest. He just didn't understand why Sakura would do something like that. Oh well, what's done it done, right? Sasuke pulled the blankets out from under the sleeping blond. He didn't even move. Sasuke gave him a good night kiss and fell asleep himself. His night was restless with dreams, or rather nightmares, of his brother. He relived the night when Itachi killed his whole family. Dead bodies, blood every where, and Itachi right in the middle of it all. He was kneeling and then stands. He turns to look at his little brother and smiles and. . . . . Sasuke woke up, drenched with cold sweat, breathing heavily. He looked at the clock, 1:30. He looked at his sleeping partner, looking so angelic on the pillow. Sasuke knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep after that, for that very nightmare had kept him up nights before. He knew he had to kill his brother to stop the dreams but first he had to figure out where he was.

Sasuke got up and headed for the bathroom. He needed a cold shower to get the awful images out of his head. He turned on the shower, stripped, and got in. He just stood there, letting the chilling water fall over his body. Back in the bedroom, Naruto had woke to the sound of the shower. _It must be Sasuke,_ he thought_, is it really that late?_ He looked at the clock, 1:45. _What was he doing taking a shower at quarter to two in the morning? Is everything ok? Did something happen? Damn, I always miss everything! _Naruto sat up in his bed and waited, hoped, _prayed_ that Sasuke would come back. Then the water stopped and Naruto couldn't wait any more, he needed to find out what was wrong. He go up and headed to the bathroom. He got to the door, raised his hand, just about to knock and the door opened. They both jumped when they saw each other. Sasuke looked at Naruto. He had put on his Joe Boxer pajama pants on and he had cuts and bruises all over his body, but the thing that got him was the look on Naruto's face. He looked like something terrible had happened, he looked hurt, but most of all, he looked scared.

"Sasuke, what's going on? Why are you taking a shower at like two in the morning? A-a-a-are you leaving?" Naruto spoke softly, hoping the answer to the last question was 'no'.

"No, of course not. I would never leave you. At least not without saying good bye first."

"Oh, thank God," Naruto whispered as he hugged Sasuke, his warm body going into temporary shock as it touched Sasuke's cold one.

"If you're not leaving, then what's with the shower?"

"I don't want to talk about it. You should go back to bed. You need your rest," said Sasuke, trying to get Naruto to drop it. He didn't.

"Rest, smest. If there's something wrong, you need to tell me. Maybe I can help," he said concerned.

"You can't help with this problem. It' s been going on a while and it's something I need to take care of myself. Ok? And as for the shower, I just had a bad dream, that's all. Nothing more, nothing less. Now, go back to bed, I'll be there in a little bit."

"But," Naruto protested.

"No but's, now go," Sasuke said, sounding like a parent again. Naruto gave him a look then went back to bed and waited for Sasuke. Sasuke put on some clothes, put water on for coffee, and paced in front of the kitchen table, thinking of ways to kill his brother. Meanwhile, Naruto laid awake in bed, waiting for Sasuke to return. Finally, at 6, he fell asleep again.

The next time he woke up, he had a note taped to his forehead. He ripped it off, sat up, and read it. It said:

Dobe,

I have gone home for awhile. Don't come over, please, I'll be back, I swear.

Love,

Sasuke


	6. wintery tears

"Great, now what am I going to do today?" Naruto asked himself after re-reading the note a couple dozen times. Nevertheless, he got up, took a long, hot shower, got dressed and sat around all day, bored out of his mind. Around two, he looked out of the window to see if Sasuke was coming back yet, but he found it was snowing instead. Apparently, it had snowed all day, but who pays attention to that anyway? Excited for snow, Naruto put his coat on and ran outside. He ran around and rolled in the snow. He threw snowballs at his house and people passing by. When he got bored with that, Naruto plopped down and laid in the snow and watched snowflakes drift down from the sky. It was peaceful and he loved it. He closed his eyes and felt the cold, wet flakes melt on his face.

Suddenly, he felt a tightly packed snowball smack his face and it stung. He sat up and looked around.

"What the hell?" he shouted.

"That's called a snowball, dobe," said a voice coming from behind him.

"Sasuke, I'm gonna get you!"

"No you're not."

"Oh yeah?" said Naruto, standing up.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, smirking. Naruto chucked a snowball at Sasuke's head. Sasuke just stepped out of the way and let the snowball hit Naruto's door.

"Shit," cussed Naruto under his breath. Sasuke just laughed, daring him to throw another one. Naruto bent over to grab more snow. Sasuke threw another snowball and hit Naruto in the butt, knocking him over.

"No fair!" yelled Naruto, pouting.

"Perfectly fair," said Sasuke, smiling.

"Nu-uh," wined Naruto.

"Yeah-huh," said Sasuke, walking over to Naruto. "You're just a sore loser," he said, giving Naruto his hand. Naruto got up by himself and tackled Sasuke. They both fell to the snowy ground. Naruto climbed on top of Sasuke and kissed him.

"I didn't lose, you did," he whispered, smiling.

"Now _that's_ not fair," Sasuke said quietly.

"It's perfectly fair, sore loser," Naruto mimicked.

"Oh, you are so going down." Sasuke flipped Naruto and pinned him. Holding his arms down, Sasuke kissed Naruto with such passion and love that Naruto knew something was going to happen. He turned his head away and Sasuke kissed his neck. Naruto fought back tears. The fridgidness of the snow started to soak through his clothes.

"Sasuke, I'm getting cold, can we go in?" he said in a tired tone, letting a tear escape from his eye. Sasuke stopped. He could feel Naruto shaking. H got off him and helped him up. When they got into the house, Sasuke went into the kitchen and put milk on for hot cocoa. Naruto went in to the bedroom, grabbed some fresh clothes and locked himself in the bathroom.

Once in there, he turned on the shower and started to cry. He just couldn't hold it back anymore, he knew Sasuke was leaving. He was never so loving toward him before and Naruto knew what that ment.

Sasuke knocked on the door. "Naruto? Hot cocoa's ready."

"I'm in the shower! Thanks anyway!" Naruto yelled back. He changed into dry clothes, turned off the shower, and dragged his feet into the kitchen where Sasuke was reading a thick book and sipping a steaming mug of hot cocoa.

Sasuke looked up from his book. "What's wrong?" Naruto collapsed into the chair next to Sasuke.

"Nothing, just tiered I guess."

"You hungry?"

"No." Naruto stood up. "I'm going to bed."

" 'K. I'll be in when I'm done."

Naruto turned and left. "Liar," he whispered in under his breath.

"What?"

"Night!" In his bedroom, Naruto flopped on his bed. There was nothing he could do now. He knew that once Sasuke made up his mind, there was no way to changed it. He eventually fell into a light sleep. About five, he felt the soft lips of Sasuke meet his and a whisper of good bye. He waited until he heard the sound of the front door close, then he jumped out of bed and ran out the door.


	7. sasuke's confession

The quiet drifting snow had turned into a pretty strong storm.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried as he ran to catch up with his dark haired love. Sasuke stopped and turned around. "Sasuke, don't go! Please don't leave me! Please. . . ." he pleaded, falling to his knees, warm tears staining his face.

"I'm sorry, I have no choice," said Sasuke, crying for the first time since that dreaded day Itachi killed their clan, "I have to do it. I have to kill my brother. There's no other way."

"Yes there is, let me-"

"No!" Sasuke barked. "I-I can't lose you too. You're the only one I have left to love. I-I-I don't know how I could live with myself knowing I was the reason you died. I just don't."

"But think about how I would feel if I lost you. I've had nobody since day one. I don't want to lose the only person I've e-e-e-ever l-l-l-l-lovedddd." Naruto cried through chattering teeth. His lips were turning blue and he was shaking violently. And for good reason, he had run out of the house with nothing but his Joe Boxer pants on. He risked freezing just to get the one he loved to stay. Sasuke picked him up and brought him back to the warmth and safety of the house. He laid Naruto down on his bed. He got Naruto under the covers and rubbed his body vigorously. Finally, Naruto's skin regained its color. Naruto was completely drained of energy and had fallen asleep and Sasuke sat in the bedroom doorway, worried about the health of the young blond. _What the hell was he thinking? _he thought, _That wasn't the smartest thing he's done before. That's just his problem, he doesn't think_. . . . . . Naruto tossed in his bed. Sasuke turned his attention to the sleeping ninja and noticed that he was breathing heavily. Sasuke jumped to his feet and rushed to his lover's bedside. Naruto was sweating and his face was flushed. "Oh, my God. Look what you've done now Dobe," Sasuke whispered mostly to himself. He placed a hand on Naruto's forehead for a moment and hastily pulled away. He was burning up and Sasuke knew he had to get the fever down ASAP! He ran to the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth and then dashed to the kitchen and seized the largest bowl he could find. Then he filled the bowl with ice water. When he got back to the bedroom, Sasuke set the water-filled bowl on the night stand and soaked the washcloth in it, then placed it on Naruto's forehead. Naruto recoiled to the touch of the cold washcloth but quickly got used to it and relaxed with a small groan.

"It's ok. You're going to pull through. You've got me, right?" Sasuke didn't know if Naruto was awake or not but it made him feel better to talk to him anyway. Once the cloth started to feel warm, Sasuke dipped it in the water again and replaced it on Naruto's hot face. Naruto stirred, opening his eyes and seeing a very blurry Sasuke.

"Sasuke?" His voice was hoarse and feeble. It pained Sasuke so to see the love of his life like this. But he but on a brave face for him and smiled and nodded.

"Yes. You're going to be ok. Here. . ." Sasuke climbed into bed and leaned Naruto against him. He reached over and pulled out a melting ice cube. "Suck on this. It'll feel good. Promise." Naruto opened his mouth and Sasuke popped it in. The best cooling sensation filled Naruto's mouth and went down his throat.

"Sasuke. . . . I.. I'm sorry" Naruto finally managed to say.

"Sorry? For what?"

"It... it's my fault you're here taking care of me. I...I shouldn't have gone after you like that. I guess I was being selfish. I know how much killing your brother means to you and because of me, you've probably lost him." Sasuke just looked at him stunned. It was _his_ fault that Naruto was like _this_. Just then, Sasuke felt Naruto hiccuping hard. He was fighting a strong cry, snapping Sasuke out of his trance. He looked down at Naruto's face. He was lightly biting his lower lip and his eyes where shut tight to prevent tears from forming, which wasn't working. Tear's were streaming down his face. Sasuke just felt horrendous; he knew it was all his fault and now he felt that Naruto was fighting back the sobs because he was trying to be strong like him. But the truth was, he wasn't strong at all, he had kept everybody away from him for fear of getting hurt again. Sasuke cradled Naruto in his lap and rested his forehead on Naruto's and looked into his never-ending blue eyes full of tears. Naruto noticed that Sasuke's cold eyes had softened greatly.

"It's ok, you don't have to be brave, you can cry." he cooed. Naruto looked away from Sasuke's gaze.

"No I can't," he started, his voice unsteady, "if I do, then I won't be as strong as you. You always keep your cool and never get emotional, not like me. I'm just a loser." Sasuke pulled his head away.

"Hey, I'm the only one who can call you a loser and that's because _I_ know you're not one. And you're wrong, I'm not strong. I'm afraid to show my feelings, ever since I was little. I wanted to show my brother, and especially my father that I could be as strong as them so I never cried, and after Itachi. . . well I never let anybody in to make sure I would never get hurt again. So it's ok, you _can_ cry." Naruto didn't have to be told twice and started bawling. Remembering why Naruto was crying, Sasuke felt a wave of guilt. He pulled him close to his chest.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, it's all my fault and you don't have to be scared either, I'm here and as long as that is in effect, you will never get hurt. I promise." Naruto's sobs echoed through the empty house as the wind howled outside as the storm raged on.


	8. sasuke cries

Sasuke could feel Naruto's fever through his shirt. He leaned over and re-soaked the washcloth, ringed it out and dabbed Naruto's tear stained face. Naruto looked at him like a wounded dog and sniffed. All of Sasuke's cold features had disappeared as he smiled warmly. They gazed deeply into each other's eyes and Naruto got closer to Sasuke. They both leaned in and kissed. Sasuke could still feel the fever and the guilt swept over him again and he pulled away.

"I can't do this. You need to sleep and get you fever down. I can't see you like this anymore. I can't take it." he said, his voice wavering for the first time, well to Naruto it was the first time. "This is all my fault." He stared at the bowl of cold water on the night stand and a warm tear started to roll down his cheek. He looked at Naruto who had an amazed look on his face. A quick shake of his head and a blink, Naruto snapped out of it and wiped the tear away with his thumb.

"It's ok, I won't tell. You can cry." Sasuke blinked and more tears came streaming down his face.

He shook his head. "No, I can't. You need me, I don't have time to cry." he said, fighting the tears he couldn't keep back any longer. Naruto hugged Sasuke and kissed his cheek.

"It's ok. I'm going to be ok, I've been through worse than this, you know that." Sasuke nodded and smiled. Naruto smiled also. "There, better." Naruto nuzzled his face into Sasuke's chest and wrapped his arms around him and soon he was asleep. Sasuke played with Naruto's hair and eventually fell asleep as well.

The next day, Sasuke woke with Naruto still holding on to him. He brushed his silky blond hair away from his face and placed his hand on his forehead. To Sasuke's relief, Naruto's fever was gone. He looked out the bedroom window and saw that the snow was still falling but not as hard anymore. Naruto stirred and turned over to face Sasuke and smiled a sleepy smile. Sasuke smiled back.

"Well, we made it."

"Yep," yawned Naruto, stretching. He sat up and let Sasuke move. Sasuke stretched and slowly regained the feeling in his legs. He leaned over and kissed Naruto then stood up, needing to get the prickly feeling out of his legs. He walked down the hall toward the bathroom with the bowl in his hand. He poured the remaining water from the night before in the sink. Turning on the water and splashing cold water on his face, Sasuke took a tired sigh and looking at himself in the mirror. He ruffled his silky raven hair and shook his head.

Pleased with that, Sasuke brushed his teeth. Just as he was finishing up, Naruto wandered in.

"Feeling better?" asked Sasuke, after he spit and rinsed off the toothbrush. Naruto nodded.

"When, when are you leaving?" he asked wearily.

"Not for awhile. What do you want for breakfast?"

Naruto smiled. "Ramen!"

Sasuke chuckled, "of coarse, what was I _thinking_ when I asked _that_ question? Coming right up," he said sarcastically. He ruffled Naruto's hair on the way out of the bathroom. Naruto smiled and fixed his hair by shaking his head. He just looked at himself in the mirror for a moment.

"Well, he said he's staying for a little while longer. That's good, right? Well, I just have to make the best of time I still have with him." He quickly brushed his teeth and strode into the kitchen. Sasuke was working hard over a hot stove. Naruto snuck up behind him and placed his hand on top of Sasuke's.

"Here, let me help." Sasuke let go of the pair of chopsticks he was using to stir the noodles with and let Naruto take over. Together, they made the best ramen Naruto had ever tasted.


	9. I love you dobe

Chapter 9

For two weeks, everything seemed fine, the two lovers even went on a c-ranked mission. On the way back from the mission, Sasuke asked if they could by his house.

"Sure. Why?" asked Naruto.

"I need to get something, that's all. Stay right here." He ran into the house and a few minuets later, he came back, a kunai in his hand.

"That's what you came here for? A kunai? We've plenty of those at my place," said Naruto, disappointed. He thought the thing Sasuke had to get was better than a stupid old kunai.

"It's not just any kunai. It's really special to me. I'll tell you when we get home. Hey, I'll race ya! Ready go!" Sasuke yelled, dashing away, leaving Naruto just standing there.

"Sasuke you cheater! Get back here!" he called , chasing after the raven haired boy. Sasuke won as usual. Naruto, still running as fast as he could, couldn't slow down fast enough and ran into Sasuke.

"Sorry Sasuke. I couldn't stop."

"Yeah, I see. Now get off me." Naruto could feel his face get hot as he pick himself up, dusted himself off, and offered Sasuke his hand. Sasuke gladly accepted Naruto's hand and Naruto pulled him up and they went inside. Naruto needed to know why that kunai was so important to Sasuke.

"So. . . what's so special about that kunai?" he asked casually.

"It's a long story. Got time?" Sasuke asked, stretching out in his favorite recliner. Naruto laid down on his stomach on the floor in front of Sasuke.

"Nothing but. Tell me. _Please_?"

"Ok. Fine. Well, here it goes. Since Itachi was a prodigy, my father never really paid much attention to me and I couldn't understand why. But one day, he decides to teach me a new jutsu, Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. At first, I couldn't get it right and it disappointed him. Annoyed with myself, I decided to take my frustrations out with some target practice. I was trying to break my record for the number of bull's eyes in a row, which was 63 at the time, and was about to throw my 64th but then I thought if I couldn't get the Great Fireball Technique, then why should I be able to make this bull's eye? So I threw it and walked away, not even looking to see where it went.

"My father saw it and asked me to try the technique again. So I did, and I got it right! Then he told me to look where my kunai had landed, it was a perfect bull's eye! That was the happiest day of my life. I finally got my father's recognition, mastered a new technique, broke my record, and finally earned my right to wear my clan's emblem. So yeah, it's pretty special to me."

"Wow. I never knew your father ignored you. Well, it beats not having a father and having a whole village despise you I guess. I really want to know more about your life with your clan, maybe it can help me forget I never had a family. But I guess it can wait for another day. I'm beat," yawned Naruto, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah, me too. I think I'm going to make some tea and hit the sack early tonight." Naruto bent over and kissed him Sasuke. Sasuke kissed him back.

"Well, good luck with that. I'm going to bed now. Good night."

"Night." Naruto brushed his teeth, took off his clothes, put on his pajamas, and climbed into bed, falling asleep almost instantly. Sasuke, on the other hand, did not make tea, but instead pulled out some paper and a pen and sat down at the kitchen table.

He thought long and hard about what he would say to Naruto. Five minuets and 27 crumpled up versions of the same note later, Sasuke was finally pleased with it. He attached it to his special kunai and stabbed it into the heart of the front door. Next, he went into the bedroom and pulled out his fully packed backpack. He tiptoed to Naruto's side of the bed. Naruto was out cold and looked so peaceful. Sasuke leaned over and kissed Naruto one last time and silently snuck out of the house. Out in the snow, Sasuke took one good look at the house and then headed out of the village.

"I love you dobe," whispered Sasuke as he entered the forest.


	10. Sasuke's poem

Chapter 10

Naruto yawned and opened his eyes. The sun shone brightly through the window.

"Ug. It's morning. I hate mornings, don't you Sasuke? Sasuke?" After getting no response to his question, Naruto tried to hit Sasuke, thinking he was still asleep, but all he hit was the other side of the bed. _That's strange, I wonder where he is? Did he get up already? _he wondered. After reluctantly pulling himself out of bed, Naruto searched the house for Sasuke. Not finding him in the bathroom, living room, and kitchen, Naruto had a sinking feeling that Sasuke had left, but this time without saying good bye. Feeling his heart breaking, Naruto dragged his feet to the kitchen to look for something to drink. Naruto found the crumpled up pieces of paper all over the floor, he straightened one out and read it. All it said was 'dobe' and some other words that were scribbled out so much that he couldn't read them. It looked like he was trying to say good bye but he couldn't find the words.

Just then, he remembered that someone had come into his room last night and gave him a kiss, but he was too tired to care. _It must have been Sasuke_! thought Naruto, feeling a little better, but he still felt very hurt.

"What if he never comes back?" he asked himself. Tears started to fill his eyes, but he shook them away. "No, I'm going to be brave. Sasuke _has _to come back, he just has to. He promised me I would never get hurt but right now I'd rather be dead than live with this uncertainty." Naruto went back to his room and changed into all black clothes from head to foot. He decided to wear black everyday until Sasuke comes back, just in case he doesn't.

Naruto had a strange feeling that he needed to check the front door. So he did and what he found touched him. There, jammed in the middle of the door was Sasuke's kunai with a note attached to it. Naruto pulled it out and read the note. It said:

I'll stay with you til you fall asleep

I'll kiss you on the lips as you dream

I slip out of your room and go outside

But if I don't see your face at least one last time

Tonight I think I might die

Take out a kunai and write a note

Stab it to the door and that's all she wrote

I step out into the snow

And hang my head low

Saying good bye my love,

Would be easier by giving you a hug

But I'm on a mission to kill my brother

And I can't risk another

Yes, you, my lover

You have to stay behind

This one trip, I just can't have you by my side

I won't be able to live if you died

So please think about me everyday

And never let our memories fade away

I will love you til I die

So I leave this note, Good bye

Love

Sasuke


	11. gone for good?

Chapter 11

Naruto wiped a tear away from his eye and he noticed that the kunai that Sasuke had used was the one that he broke his record with. He ran his finger along the dull edges. He felt a sharp pain and then blood. _Ok, so it's not so dull,_ he thought. He put his finger in his mouth and waited for the blood to stop. Once he stopped bleeding, Naruto went into the kitchen to study what Sasuke had left him more closely. The kunai was well used and toward the end of the handle, Sasuke had carved his initials into it.

"How could you leave and hurt me like this, Sasuke? I didn't even get to say good bye this time." he said, slamming the kunai into the table, splintering the wood. Pulling out the kunai and staring at the fresh cut he had made in the wood, he heard the voice of Kyuubi ringing through his head.

_He hurt you. Never forget that. Remind yourself everyday, that's what you need to do._ Naruto looked at the kunai in his hand. _Yes, use it to remind you, see the blood of your broken heart._ Knowing he hated unneeded pain, Naruto braced himself and cut his arm with Sasuke's kunai. It didn't hurt as much as he thought but watching the red liquid ooze out of his arm somehow made him feel better. _Yes, that's it. Don't forget, don't ever forget. He hurt you._ Naruto got up and walked over to the sink and washed his bleeding arm. _Yes, wash away your pain._ It took a long time before he arm stopped bleeding so Naruto wrapped a piece of cloth around the wound. With kunai in hand, Naruto picked up Sasuke's letter and skulked into his room. Sitting on the side of his bed, Naruto placed both the kunai and the letter on his night stand so he could always see it when he went to sleep and woke up everyday.

Naruto never left the house for fear of missing Sasuke's return. He kept on with the cutting every morning, Kyuubi made sure of that. After not seeing his ex-student in over a month, Iruka-sensei was getting worried, and he decided to visit him. Naruto was just washing off his newest cut when Iruka knocked on the door.

"Naruto, are you home?" he called.

"Yeah, be there in a minuet!" Naruto called back. Thinking quick, he darted to his bedroom and dug around his unkempt room and found a black AC/DC hoodie and pulled it on over his head. The long sleeves concealed the cuts on his forearms and he bolted to the door. Catching his breath, he opened the door and put on a false smile. "Hi Iruka-sensei! Haven't seen you in a while, would you like to come in?"

"Sure." Naruto stepped aside and let Iruka in. Iruka looked around the house, it looked like it had never been cleaned before. _This is so not like Naruto, he usually keeps everything in his house in some sort of order_, he thought. Then he looked at Naruto himself, he was dressed in nothing but black, his hair was untidy and the tips of every strand was dyed sheer slate black. _And was he wearing black eyeliner? No, he can' t be,_ he speculated.

"Iruka-sensei, would you like some tea?" asked Naruto calmly, completely ignoring the fact that Iruka was staring at him with some disgust.

"What? Oh, yes please." he said, his mind returning to earth.

"Please follow me." Iruka followed Naruto into the kitchen and sat in a chair at the table. Naruto filled a kettle with water and put it on the stove to boil. Then he sat next to his old sensei. "So what brings you around here, Iruka-sensei?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I haven't seen you around Ichirakus lately and I was worried that something was wrong. I mean you always go there for one meal or the other during the day."

"Well, I'm fine see?" Naruto said, faking a smile again. Iruka wasn't convinced. Just then, the kettle started to whistle. Naruto got up and took it off the stove. He went to the cupboard and took out to cups. He put tea bags in them and filled them with water and brought them to the table. Iruka took one and took a cautious sip. Naruto remained silent and swirled the tea around in his cup.

"Are you sure everything is ok? You're not acting like yourself." Iruka asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't need to tell you anything." Naruto snapped.

"Ok, but if you ever feel like talking, you know where to find me," said Iruka, standing up and getting ready to leave.

"Sasuke left me!" Naruto wailed, not really wanting Iruka to leave. Iruka smiled and sat back down.

"He did? Where did he go?"

"To go kill his brother," Naruto mumbled.

"What?"

"To go kill his brother. He told me he wouldn't let anybody hurt me, but I feel like I've been put through the blender five times. I love him Iruka-sensei. And I never got to tell him good bye either. I want to show you something, wait here." Naruto got up and headed to his room. Once there, he grabbed the letter off his night stand and raced back to the kitchen and showed it to Iruka.

Iruka read it and then stared at Naruto, who was holding his chest in the general area of his heart and silently crying.

"Oh Naruto, I'm so sorry. Come here." Naruto lunged at Iruka and sat in his lap like he used to when he was younger. There, he let out a wail and Iruka held him. Naruto felt like he was five again, crying because the other kids wouldn't play with him.

"It's ok, he'll come back. Shh, it's ok."


	12. sasuke comes back

Chapter 12

Months went by and still no sign of Sasuke. Naruto still cut himself, _still_ under the influence of Kyuubi. Winter eventually turned to spring, the snow melted and the plants started to come back to life and Naruto still hardly left the house. Iruka came to check in on him every once in a while, which cheered him up a bit but in the back of his mind, Naruto had a sinking feeling that Sasuke would never come back.

One day, after his daily slicing of his forearm, Naruto thought he might go to his tree and take a look at spring, hoping it would cheer him up. He was wrong. He climbed the large branches that he knew so well by the academy and looked out on the village. All of the sakura trees were in bloom and everything was so full of life. All this beauty reminded Naruto of Sasuke and the pain of being alone came pulsing back at the thought of Sasuke being dead. Memories of their first kiss flashed back into his mind. Sure, that kid _did_ bump him, but did he _really_ lose his balance or did he let himself fall? It didn't really matter now, he needed to get over it and move on. But he knew that he couldn't.

Back in the academy, Iruka was correcting test papers, but doing a poor job at it because he was also watching Naruto through the window. He had never seen Naruto so depressed before, he had tried to cheer him up multiple times, but failed. Everything he did reminded Naruto about Sasuke. He wished that Sasuke would come back soon, he didn't know how long Naruto could last.

Meanwhile, at the village gate, a dark haired bot came hobbling into the village. His clothes where torn and blood stained, he had cuts all over his body, and his right arm was held up by a homemade sling. He had a black eye and hardly had enough strength to stand, but will power kept him going. That dark haired boy was Sasuke and he was heading straight to Naruto's house. Once he got there, Sasuke opened the well missed door to an empty house.

"Naruto, I'm back!" he called, just in case Naruto was sleeping or somehthing. No answer. "I wonder where he could be?" he asked himself. "I have to go find him. But first. . . ." He made his way to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. After knocking back a couple of pain killers, Sasuke went out in search of Naruto. His first stop was Ichirakus.

"Hey, have you seen Naruto lately?" he asked the ramen guy.

"Can't say as I have. Actually, I haven't seen the little guy in months. Sorry Sasuke."

"It's ok. Well, see you around." Sasuke said, stepping back out into the street. "Where the hell are you dobe? Maybe Iruka-sensei would know where he is, he should be at the academy still." So Sasuke was off to the academy to find that he was right, he found Iruka at his desk, swamped with tests.

"Um, Iruka-sensei," he said quietly, not wanting to interrupt. Iruka looked up and jumped to his feet in surprise to see Sasuke. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Sasuke, oh, uh, no nothing important. You're back! I'm so glad."

"I'm just gonna get to the point. Have you seen Naruto? I can't seem to find him."

"Yes I have, he's out in the tree, hoping you'll come back alive. He just hasn't been the same since you left. Here, see what I mean," He gestured to the window. Sasuke went over and looked up into the tree until he spotted a hunched over figure all in black. It looked a little like Naruto but no, the ends of his hair was black.

"No, that can't be Naruto. Can it?" asked Sasuke, pulling his attention back to the teacher standing in front of him. Iruka nodded.

"Yes, it can, and it is. Here sit down, you must be tired." Sasuke sat down and Iruka started to explain t him what has happened while he was gone.

"Well, you see, after you left, Naruto started slipping into a depression. It started off small and harmless, you know changing hie wardrobe to black. But then he refused to leave his house. He isolated himself from the rest of the world. He only left the house when I _made_ him and even then, he was quiet and subdued, at times I felt like I was talking to Hinata. Then he refused to eat, even when I offered him ramen. He grew thinner and paler and I could see he was losing sleep. And when he _did_ speak, it was always something about you promising him that he would never get hurt, but you hurt him. You just have to see him. I'm really worried about him." Sasuke just sat there, unable to comprehend what he had done to his light-spirited lover. He looked out the window again and stared at the figure in the tree.

"Did I really do this to him?"

"He's been feeling lower than usual now that spring is here. Hey, I'm having a little get together tonight. If you're up to it, you should come."

Sasuke thought about it. "Is Naruto coming?"

"He can if you want him to." Sasuke nodded. "Well, better get going. I've got a lot of setting up to do." Sasuke stood up unsteadily. Iruka offered himself as a brace. Sasuke took that offer.

"Let me come with you."

"I thought you wanted to see Naruto."

"I do, but I can wait."


	13. I've missed you so

Chapter 13

There was a knock on Naruto's door. Assuming it was Iruka, he forced a smile and opened the door and there he was, just standing there, all happy and stuff. Naruto rolled his eyes and blew off his smile.

"Now was Iruka-sensei?"

"I want you to come to my place. I'm having a party and-"

"Not interested." Naruto said, starting to close the door. Iruka stopped it.

"But everyone will be there and-"

"I said no Iruka-sensei!"

"But we've got a surprise for you." Naruto reopened the door.

"Fine, but if it makes me happy, it's your fault."

"Whatever, deal. Now let's go." Naruto complained all the was there. Once at the front door, Naruto stopped.

"I cant' do this." Iruka smiled.

"Oh, I think you can and you'll enjoy yourself too."

"What makes_ you_ so sure?"

"You'll see." He opened the door. Iruka was right, all of his friends where there; Kiba, Akamaru, Ino, Shikamaru, Shino, Neji, Hinata, even Kakashi-sensei. But the only person that mattered wasn't. Naruto sat in a chair in the corner and watched everyone else have a good time.

Just as he was thinking about leaving, Ino shouted to him. "Hey Naruto, come here! We've got something to show you!" Naruto sighed and got up,

dragging his feet and seeing all of his friends' smiles, Naruto was getting kind of freaked out.

"What."

Ino just smiled. "There's a new kid in the village. I think you might know him."

"Ino, what the hell are you talking about?" Naruto started. The crowd parted and Sasuke came up behind Ino, but Naruto was too focused on her to notice.

"You're such a loser, dobe." Naruto looked for the source of the oh-so-familiar put down that he had missed so much. Finding it, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Sasuke?" he practically whispered in disbelief.

Sasuke smirked and nodded. "Who else?" Tears of joy flooded Naruto's eyes. He never thought he'd see the dark haired boy again, thinking he was. . . well he wasn't and that's all that matters now.

"Sasuke!" shrieked Naruto, lunging at Sasuke, hugging him. Sasuke winced in pain but hugged him back. "I've missed you so much. I thought you were. . . you were, but you're not and I'm so happy. I've missed you." he said through Sasuke's chest, tears streaming down his face. Sasuke rubbed Naruto's back as everyone look on. He tried to keep the happy tears down, but he couldn't and so he just gave in.

"I've missed you too." Naruto looked up into Sasuke's dark, tear-filled eyes, and smiled. They both leaned in and kissed each other with twice as much passion as they ever had. An applause broke out through the house and Iruka let a sigh of relief escape him, but the two lovers didn't care. They were in their own little world, gazing into each other's eyes, their heads resting together. Naruto sniffed and smiled, Sasuke smiled also and wiped away his lover's tears with his good hand. Naruto looked down and was Sasuke's badly wounded arm, bound up with bandages and held up with a sling.

"Oh, Sasuke, your arm!" Then he noticed he looked absolutely dreadful; gashes all over and his clothes blood stained and shredded. "Sasuke, you, you look awful!"

"What, this? Oh, it's nothing, I'll be fine. Look at you, what happened to you?"

"Me? Nothing, nothing really. I'm fine. You're hurt!"

"_I'm_ hurt? Well, I may be hurt but-" Sasuke noticed that everyone was watching them, hanging on to every word they said. "Privacy. Ever heard of it?" Everyone shrugged off the rudeness and went on with the party. "But Itachi is feeling worse." Sasuke whispered in Naruto's ear.

"You really did it?" asked Naruto, his eyes wide. Sasuke smiled and nodded. Naruto squealed and hugged Sasuke and again, Sasuke winced. "So you're not gonna leave me again?"

"No. Never." Naruto nuzzled his face into Sasuke's chest, and listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart, making sure he was actually alive. Sasuke ran his hand through the sunny hair of the one and only person he longed for while he was away.

"Let's go home." Naruto nodded. Together they said their good bye's and thanked Iruka and left for their house.

Once they got there, Sasuke was exhausted so Naruto sent him to bed and went into the bathroom to clean up. In there, he washed his face, brushed his teeth and took off his protective hoodie covering his bloody secret. He walked into the bedroom finding the light still on and Sasuke still up, reading. Naruto stood there and stared at Sasuke, hiding his cut up arms.

"What are you still doing up? You should be sleeping!"

"Well, I couldn't sleep until I saw you one more time. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing now go to sleep! You need to get you're strength back." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Now come here." Naruto did what he was told and laid down next to him.

Sasuke only saw a glimpse of what he thought was a fresh cut on Naruto's forearm.

"Naruto, let me see your arms."

"No."

"Naruto, let me see."

"No," he said, fighting back laughter.

"Let me see or you'll force me to do something I don't want to do," said Sasuke, also fighting laughter.

"No," Naruto giggled.

"Fine, you leave me no choice." Sasuke jumped on top of Naruto and tickled him all over. God, he'd missed Naruto so much. He missed everything; the village, this house, his friends, but most of all, his lover. He couldn't stand being away from him but he was back and here to stay.

Naruto was laughing so hard that he was crying and Sasuke finally got a hold of his arm. He looked at the multiple scars and some fresher cuts on top of them. Still sitting on Naruto, Sasuke grabbed his other arm. And again, he saw multiple scars and fresher cuts and one that still looked tender and raw.

Sasuke stared at them in disbelief. "Why? Naruto why'd you do it? I thought you were smarter than that." Naruto looked away. He couldn't face Sasuke. He just wanted to go crawl in a hole and hide. "Naruto, look at me. Why'd you do it?" Sasuke asked, getting off of Naruto and letting go of his arm. Naruto turned over and curled up into a ball, staring at the wall.

"Naruto, talk to me. Please, your scaring me, it's like I don't know you anymore! Iruka-sensei told me what has happened ever since I left but he never told me you cut."

"That's because he didn't know. Nobody knew." said Naruto, not moving.

"Then, why?" asked Sasuke, reaching out to touch Naruto's shoulder but he shot up and stared at Sasuke. Sasuke saw the dark circles round Naruto's eyes and his eyes themselves were drained completely of all previous life and were cold and dead.

"Why?! _Why?!_ You left me Sasuke! When I found your letter, I was so afraid that I would never see you again and it hurt. I could _feel_ my heart shattering into a million pieces. Then Kyuubi told me I needed to remind myself of that pain and convinced me to cut myself. It's no big deal."

"Yes. Big deal. _Very_ big deal. Do you know that people _die_ from doing this?!"

"I was hoping that would happen. I couldn't stand to live anymore. But then... but then you came back and I'm so glad that I didn't. I'll stop ok? Promise."

"It's not going to be that easy you know. You've formed a habit and a bad one at that."

"I know! But I'll have you to help me right?"

"Without a doubt." Naruto crawled over and sat next to Sasuke. Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning. Naruto jumped into Sasuke's lap and shook. They heard the rain pound on the roof and windows and Sasuke held a scared Naruto when the lights went out.

"Hey, it's ok. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a spring storm."

Naruto stopped shaking and looked up at Sasuke. "I'm not now that you're here." He passionately kissed the sweet, tender lips that he had missed so much. Sasuke kissed him back. They fell asleep in each other's arms to the lulling sound of the pounding rain and the low rumble of the rolling thunder.


End file.
